The 2025 Global Fraud Index ranks Africa as the world’s most exposed region to digital fraud, marking a significant shift in the global fraud landscape. Sumsub’s study, covering 112 countries across four structural pillars, places Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Senegal among the least protected nations.
Sumsub built its index on four weighted dimensions: fraud activity, resource accessibility, government intervention, and economic health. The combined framework aims to show not only where fraud is occurring but also why some countries are more vulnerable than others.
Within Africa, Nigeria emerges as a high-risk case, with one of the lowest resilience scores in the continent. Tanzania and Uganda likewise rank near the bottom globally. Meanwhile, Senegal receives the lowest score in the resource accessibility pillar, underscoring how limitations in digital infrastructure contribute to wider fraud exposure.
The report attributes Africa’s top risk position largely to low governance capacity, weak intervention mechanisms and socioeconomic pressures. Many African countries still lack strong regulatory frameworks and cohesive anti-fraud strategies, while connectivity expansion outpaces investments in security. In addition, many consumers and small businesses have limited access to reliable identity verification systems.
Deepfake and AI-driven attacks are exploding across Africa, compounding traditional scams. A TransUnion Africa survey indicates that in 2024, audio deepfake impersonations rose from 37 percent to 49 percent of fraud cases; video deepfakes doubled in prevalence. The report notes that synthetic identities, forged documents and hybrid phishing-AI attacks are increasingly used to bypass identity systems.
Social engineering is now among the most dangerous modes of attack. According to Sumsub’s Africa team, SIM swap fraud continues to proliferate—fraudsters hijack mobile numbers to access bank accounts or mobile wallets. Fraudulent schemes via WhatsApp and Telegram that mimic trusted contacts or institutions are also widespread. Fake job offers, loan scams and money mule recruitment networks are growing in sophistication.
The iGaming sector reinforces how fraud vectors are evolving. Sumsub’s “State of Identity Verification in iGaming 2025” reveals that 82.9 percent of operators faced increases in fraud. The most targeted stage now is the deposit phase, cited by 41.9 percent of respondents, surpassing registration or withdrawal attacks. AI-powered document fraud is pervasive, with 78 percent of operators encountering forged or manipulated documents generated by artificial intelligence.
Asia-Pacific, once seen as a high-risk region, has slipped in protection ranking to fourth place globally, trailing Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. While Singapore remains a top performer in government intervention, it dropped from first position in 2024 to tenth overall in the 2025 rankings.
Several leading digital economies in Asia experienced sharp declines. Malaysia fell 52 places, while Indonesia and Japan also dropped substantially. Within the Asia region, India is ranked 109th of 112 countries in fraud resilience.
The United States, despite high fraud rates, fares better in Sumsub’s index owing to strong regulatory frameworks, enforcement and AI readiness. Its fall in raw fraud incidents is offset by institutional strength.
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